Grevillea ‘Carpet Layer’

Grevillea 'Carpet Layer' (Grevillea 'Carpet Layer') is a prostrate native groundcover that does the work of a small shrub bed on its own. It stays around 30cm high and spreads to about 2.5m, laying down a dense weed suppressing mat of fine foliage studded with pink and red toothbrush flowers. Once established it asks for almost nothing.

Why you'll love it

• One plant covers a lot of ground. A spread of about 2.5m from a 30cm high plant means fewer plants, less mulch and a bed that closes over fast.
• Honeyeaters find it quickly. The toothbrush flowers sit at eye level for a small bird, so it brings wrens and honeyeaters in.
• Hard sites suit it. Drought tolerant, salt tolerant and happy in poor soil, so a hot dry bank or a coastal front garden is normal territory.
• Fast to establish. A spring planting is usually knitting together by the end of its first summer.
• Almost no maintenance. No staking, no deadheading, and one light trim a year.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 1.5m apart for a dense groundcover. That looks generous on planting day, but at 2.5m of eventual spread anything tighter leaves overlapping woody stems and a thin centre.

Retaining walls and slopes. This is where it earns its keep. Along the top of a wall it cascades over the face, and on a slope the stems hold soil and cut down runoff.

Rockeries and coastal gardens. The sharp drainage of a rockery suits it, and salt tolerance means it holds up in an exposed seaside bed where most groundcovers burn.

Growing Grevillea 'Carpet Layer' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, all day if possible, since shade produces sparse growth and very few flowers. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid gardens. It takes light frost only, so hard frosting inland and cold southern gardens are a genuine limitation.

Soil. Free draining above all else. Sandy or gravelly soil is ideal and poor soil is no obstacle. On clay, plant on a raised mound, because grevilleas are more often lost to wet feet in winter than to anything else.

Water and feed. Deep water weekly through the first summer, then only in prolonged dry weather. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser and nothing else, because standard garden fertilisers carry phosphorus levels grevilleas cannot process.

Pruning. Tip prune lightly after the main flowering flush to keep the mat dense. Avoid cutting back into bare old wood, because this plant reshoots reluctantly from thick stems.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown as tube stock and in packs of ten 140mm plants. Tubes are young rooted cuttings, usually a single stem with a few side shoots, and the economical way to cover a bank. The 140mm plants are already branching, which shortens the wait by a season.

Prostrate grevilleas travel well, though some stems may arrive bent. Plant promptly into free draining soil, water in, then hold off on heavy watering. Expect obvious spread within two to three months in the warm season. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse every variety in our grevillea collection.
• Compare low growing options in groundcover plants.
• See what else suits retaining walls and slopes.

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

One and a half metres apart, roughly one plant for every two square metres. It looks sparse for the first year, so mulch between the plants while they run together.

What fertiliser can I use?

A low phosphorus native fertiliser only, applied lightly in early spring. Ordinary lawn and garden fertilisers damage grevillea roots, and the damage often shows up as yellow leaves months later.

Can I cut it back hard if it gets woody?

Better not to. Prostrate grevilleas reshoot poorly from thick bare wood, so a hard cut back often leaves permanent gaps. Trim lightly after flowering each year instead, and it stays dense for far longer.